Who are the Owners of Pro CS2 Teams? — Let's Find Out

There are many famous teams in Counter-Strike history. Of course, each member of these teams is recognizable; they are invited to interviews and applauded by millions. However, even if the composition of the team changes, the new players will still be in the spotlight because of the team’s popularity.

There is no question why teams like NAVI or Faze are popular. But have you ever wondered where these teams get their money from? The thing is, professional cyber athletes don't work behind the counter during their time off from Majors. They train hard while someone handles their management and logistics, pays them salaries, and makes decisions about their activities.

As in all other sports, there are owners of professional CS2 teams, and it’s an interesting topic for discussion if you want to find out more about your favorites. In this article, we will discover who owns pro CS teams.

1. Team Vitality — Nicolas Maurer and Fabien "Neo" Devide

The history of Team Vitality began in 2013 with its founders, Frenchmen Fabien Dewade and Nicolas Maurer. At that time, the organization competed in League of Legends. The successes of the team in LoL helped them move on and occupy other cybersport platforms. However, the CS branch of Team Vitality started its history only on October 8, 2018.

When Nicolas Maurer founded it in 2013, he was driven by an ambitious goal to make the club one of the most influential teams in France and Europe. It's safe to say that he has jumped above his head, as Team Vitality has now become one of the most elite clubs in the world. Nicolas managed to raise more than 35 million euros and create partnerships with major companies such as Tezos and Adidas to finance the team's activities.

Interestingly enough, before becoming the owner of the team, he was working as a chief video editor in a production company. That's where he met Fabien "Neo" Devide, who convinced him to start the team. They are still managing all the cybersport areas of the club together.

2. Heroic — Krow Bidco AS

Heroic was founded in 2016, and its path has been quite thorny. The main Danish team initially played for the German cybersport organization SK Gaming. On June 29, 2016, the players' contracts expired, and the legendary Asger "AcilioN" Larsen, Adam Friberg, Daniel Mertz, Patrick "es3tag" Hansen, Andreas "MODDII" Fridh, and interim coach Niko "naSu" Kovanen decided to make history on their own. On July 1, 2016, the team took the temporary name Team X, and on August 26, 2016, the players renamed it to Heroic.

The team first became part of the BLAST Premier organization and, in 2018, was sold to Seranades Global in an attempt to attract investors. In February 2021, the Danes were bought by their brothers in the Nordic region by the Norwegian organization Omaken Sports. The team reportedly managed to raise $18.2 million in investment during the deal.

However, in 2023, the company changed ownership again. Club director Joachim Haraldsen said that Heroic needs to raise about $7.5 million in investment by the end of 2025 for the organization to continue operating. At the same time, the club needed about a million dollars by the summer of 2023. The Norwegian company Krow Bidco AS, a limited liability company owned by the EU investment fund, agreed to invest this amount.

Curiously, a new owner may be tied to… Russians! Part of the new board of the company is connected with the Cypriot company 9PANDAS, the founder of which is a Russian Sergey Karshakov. According to many resources, Karshakov is a co-owner of the Russian betting firm 1xbet.

3. G2 — Carlos "ocelote" Rodríguez Santiago and Jens Hilgers

G2 was founded in Spain on February 24, 2014, as Gamers2 by former League of Legends player Carlos "Ocelote" Rodriguez Santiago and investor Jens Hilgers. On October 15, 2015, the organization was renamed G2 Esports.

Carlos Rodriguez is one of the quite odious CS2 pro team owners and has as many admirers as haters. The brash, outspoken, and characterful Spaniard went from a Warcraft 3 fanboy to the owner of a club that is among the ten most expensive in cybersports. He has been repeatedly accused of toxicity and inappropriate remarks, but he has stubbornly pursued his dream of creating a cybersporting Real Madrid. Well, we can say that he has succeeded in this. G2 Esports is the top 3 cybersports team of 2022, and on February 12, 2023, the team won the IEM Katowice 2023.

However, Rodriguez is now suspended from managing the club. On September 24, 2022, he was forced to leave the organization because he was under a barrage of criticism from the community. The users' displeasure was caused by a video from the celebration of the G2 League of Legends lineup at Worlds 2022. There, the scandalous ex-kickboxer Andrew Tate, known for his misogynistic and sexist remarks, was seen among the party guests.

Rodriguez still owns the majority of the company and certain rights, but the main management of the club is done by the board of directors.

4. NAVI — Maksym Krippa

Of course, when finding out who the owners of pro teams in CS2 are, we cannot pass by the GOAT. Natus Vincere, or NAVI, started as a Counter-Strike team in 2009 and grew into Ukraine's premier eSports organization. The team became the first in history that managed to win three major world cybersports tournaments in one year. For 12 years, the teams under the Natus Vincere brand earned $18.7 million in prize money in different games.

Alexander Kokhanovskyi was the founder and owner of NAVI. In Ukraine, Kokhanovskyi owned NAVI U.A. LLC through a legal entity in the British Virgin Islands since its registration in 2018. However, on July 12, 2022, it changed its ultimate beneficial owner to Ukrainian citizen Maksym Krippa, from the analytical system YouControl. In March 2023, Krippa's representatives contacted Forbes, claiming that the deal was concluded back in 2018 and that the change of ownership of YouControl in 2022 "marked its finalization." Krippa has been linked to the online casino chain Vulkan, and he also allegedly owns betting operator GGBet.

5. Faze Clan — GameSquare

FaZe Clan is one of the largest cybersport teams in North America. It has repeatedly made rounds of investments on the stock exchange. Among the CS2 pro team sponsors were such famous personalities as basketball player Ben Simmons, actor Chris O'Donnell, and rapper Snoop Dog. However, the company ran into financial difficulties in 2022. FaZe Clan ended 2022 with a net loss of $53.2 million.

In October 2023, Canada's GameSquare announced a buyout of the cybersport organization FaZe Clan. GameSquare reported that the club was acquired at market value. In the year since going public, when the club was valued at just under one billion dollars, its share price has been around $16 million. GameSquare also owns Complexity Gaming, and the company's assets include a cyber sports agency Code Red Esports.

6. Team Liquid — aXiomatic

Team Liquid is run by Steve Arhansse and Victor Goossens. Since 2016, when aXiomatic became the owner of Team Liquid, the team has achieved a lot. aXiomatic is an example of the competent work of managers and skillful financing. In October 2018, they raised $26 million. One of the investors was the legendary basketball player Michael Jordan. As for the latest news, in 2022, the company raised $35 million in investment amid growing interest in cybersports.

7. ENCE eSports — ENCE

ENCE is the main Finnish CS2 team that started its history in 2013. All the most famous local cybersports players have played there at one time. The company's shareholders are its players, but there is also a management staff. For example, players of the ENCE Alexi “allu” Yalli and Miikka “suNny” Kemppi are among the shareholders of the organization. They own 6.5% and 1%, respectively. The owners of the shares are also the CEO of the organization, Mika Kuusisto, founder of the world's largest festival of multimedia presentation developers, Pekka Aakko, and general manager of Immortals, Tomi “lurppis” Kovanen. 

8. FURIA Esports — Andre Akkari

FURIA Esports is owned by Andre Akkari, and he is a true legend of the Brazilian cybersport scene. Brazilian professional poker player Andre Akkari is known primarily as a winner of many card tournaments. However, his contributions to sports and cybersports are respected so much that he was the one who carried the Olympic flame at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In addition to Akkari, businessman Jaime Padua and entrepreneur Chris Guedes are also listed among the club's owners.

9. cloud9 — Jack Etienne

If you have ever wondered who the sponsors of professional CS2 teams are, then you should hear the story of the owner of the popular cloud9, Jack Etienne. Surprisingly, he never intended to start a cybersport organization. But it all changed when he met Andy Dean in 2011.

At that time, the kid was 17. He was just at the start of his professional career as a League of Legends player. Dean was looking for a person who would help him attract advertisers to the Team Solomid (TSM) website and monetize it with game guides in general. After talking to Dean for an hour and a half, Etienne agreed that he would take on the job. Probably, this decision would make him more susceptible to thinking about owning a team himself.

Etienne was subsequently approached by Quantic Gaming, who had won a slot in the NA LCS League of Legends league. He couldn't resist the temptation and bought the Quantic Gaming lineup along with a slot in the NA LCS. The purchase cost only $15,000. In May 2013, he renamed the team to the famous Cloud9. Etienne remains the CEO of the organization to this day.

10. Virtus.pro — Aram Karamanukyan

Many players know that Virtus.pro cybersport club is one of the oldest and was founded in 2003. But who are the owners of the pro CS2 team? The team was founded by Irina "Runcha" Semenova, and the sole focus of it was Counter-Strike 1.6. Under her management, Virtus.pro had its share of victories till 2009, when the team took a two-year pause. This pause ended in 2011 with the new co-owner, Anton "Sneg1" Cherepennikov. In 2015, he created ESforce Holding, which included Virtus.pro along with other cybersport projects. In January 2018, Mail.ru Group (now VK) bought ESforce together with Virtus.pro for $100 million.

However, 2022 is not the best time to be a Russian team, much less one owned by Russian government-affiliated VK. That's why, in September 2022, VK announced a sale, making Armenian entrepreneur Aram Karamanukyan the owner and CEO of the club. Karamanukyan stated that after the purchase, he owns all the assets of Virtus.pro, including contracts with players. Since 2023, Virtus.pro has represented Armenia, which allows it to keep its name and play in international tournaments.

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This was the list of owners of pro Counter-Strike 2 teams. As you can see, sometimes owners of top CS2 teams can give the team as much as top players do. Competent management, search for sponsors, new players, and lineup changes are an integral part of any sport. Fans can only cheer and enjoy the result of their work.